ARSENAL legend Ray Parlour has defended Derby County boss Wayne Rooney after he reportedly injured midfielder Jason Knight.
The former England and Manchester United ace is said to have injured the 20-year-old after taking part in a training session to make up numbers, with the Rams having just nine registered players.
According to the Telegraph, the incident happened at Pennyhill Park – a luxury hotel and spa – where Derby were staying for a pre-season training camp.
And the crocked midfielder could miss up to two months of the new season as a result.
Rooney confirmed the injury himself, saying: “Jason will be out for eight to 12 weeks.
“He has rocked his ankle. Thankfully he doesn’t need surgery, but needs the time to make sure he gets his ankle strong again.
“Of course [it is a huge blow], everyone knows what Knighty brings to us, he is a fantastic player, great energy, and he will be a loss, but we have to deal with that.”
Parlour has come to Rooney’s defence, highlighting that training injuries aren’t rare in the world of professional football.
And the former Arsenal midfielder believes as a manager, you want training to be competitive and intense despite not playing against opposition.
Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: “You want competitive football when you train.
He [Knight] has rocked his ankle. Thankfully he doesn’t need surgery, but needs the time to make sure he gets his ankle strong again.
Wayne Rooney
“I know it’s not like you’re playing against opposition, you’re training together, but it’s still competitive.
“You’re going to get injuries, you’re going to get people getting bangs on their ankles and things like that.
“You hope it doesn’t happen, but you are a little bit slower, Wayne Rooney is not as quick as he used to be and he was probably genuinely going for a ball, was a bit late and he’s injured the player.”
Parlour also believes that nobody will be more disappointed than Rooney, who’s squad is already paper thin.
He added: “I know he’s the manager and he’ll probably be saying he’s so sorry about that.
“And he’s probably thinking to himself, ‘I’ve lost another player’, so he’s not too happy about it as well.
“It’s hard when you go into a training session, because you want it to be like a game, especially if it’s a practice game, you don’t want to just go through the motions and not treat it like a game situation.
“So you’re always going to get a few injuries here and there – hamstring pulls, calf strains, it’s part and parcel of the game I’m afraid.”
It’s hard when you go into a training session, because you want it to be like a game, especially if it’s a practice game, you don’t want to just go through the motions and not treat it like a game situation
Ray Parlour
Getting his Derby squad ready for the start of the Championship season on August 7 against Huddersfield isn’t the only problem Rooney has on his plate.
The 35-year-old fears he was the victim of a “set up” after photos of him asleep in a hotel surrounded by girls went viral.
But Rooney is understood to be absolutely clear he did nothing wrong.
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Derby issued a statement on the matter, saying: “Wayne Rooney informed the club that the pictures had emerged and that they had been taken without his knowledge or approval.
“After taking counsel the matter was reported to Greater Manchester Police who are currently investigating the incident.
“While that remains the case, there will be no further comment.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
